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i5 2500k system

ussff

ussff

ussff

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Joined
11 Jan 2007
Posts
287
So, you've won me over... an AMD enthusiast converted - Sandybridge wins! :cool:

....never thought that would happen! :eek:

So the AMD gaming 4800+ skt 939 rig gets an Intel rebuild;

CPU is a no brainer - i5 2500k

MOBO was a harder choice, I've gone mid table as I've seen Z79 recalls and Z68 gen3 is now 'last year'... ASRock Z77 Extreme 4 has become my price point mobo for sub £120 board - it gives me some future to slap in the 'sweet' ivybridge when it emerges...

RAM is even harder :p but I've worked out that 1600Mhz is the sweet spot for Sandybridge... with some headroom to OC, so; Crucial 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600Mhz Ballistix Tactical Memory Kit CL8 (8-8-8-24) 1.5V at sub £45 seems to be my goal.

It will run stock on arrival and then next month I will cool with a H100 and see if 5ghz is attainable.

I'm going to put my curent SLI combo of 9600GSO xxx in for the time being... given 6 to 12 months there will be a new set of gfx cards in play!

Your wisdom - as ever - is appreciated before I hit 'pay'

:D
 
Ram... Corsair Vengance at CL9 vs the Crucial at CL8 for £5 more + the heat sinks are smaller giving me a larger scope IF I opt to air cool... Which isn't really the plan.

Plus I'm future proofing and planning on going 16Gb of Ram - so my theory was that short heatsinks and using a H80/H100 style cooling solution was the best way of not 'clashing' on the mobo...
 
The RAM is specced is low profile so won't affect air coolers :)

Also, paying more for lower timings isn't necessary with Sandybridge [are you going to be waiting for Ivybridge? If so, it might be a different story]

Surveyor said:
For Sandy Bridge 1600MHz with modest timings is the sweet spot for price/performence:

Sandy Bridge Memory Scaling Coosing The Best DDR3

DDR3 SDRAM for Sandy Bridge: Choosing the Best Memory for LGA1155 Platform

The Best Memory for Sandy Bridge
Click to expand...

A larger cooler would not clash with a motherboard :) not saying the H100 is a bad choice, but I think air coolers tend to be cheaper for similar performance and quieter.
 
beejjacobs said:
The RAM is specced is low profile so won't affect air coolers
Click to expand...

I've avoided the super heat spreaders, such as the Corsair Vengeance :rolleyes: just in case it starts to get tight, dependant on my after market choice of cooling solution, which is not fixed in stone yet. The i5 will be on its stock cooler until I've seen the motherboard for myself :)

The other ram issue I've "ummed and arrghed" over... 8Gb or 16Gb. 8gb is todays answer, but as I want this to last a while is it worth getting the 16gb of matching ram now. I very nearly (still might after you answer below) went with GSkill Ripjaws Z Series 1600 CL 9.0 16GB Memory Kit - Red (4x 4GB, DDR3, Quad Channel, Intel XMP Certified) which is also Z77 approved but opted for the faster Ballistix dual 8gb set and then slap in another 8gb in a couple of months time, whilst I can still source the same model.

beejjacobs said:
Also, paying more for lower timings isn't necessary with Sandybridge [are you going to be waiting for Ivybridge? If so, it might be a different story]
Click to expand...

Previously I've built AMD systems and always specced low cas, high quality ram, but thanks for the info ;) I wasn't aware that lower timings were of no value in the case of the sandybridge, although I'd read that it does like speed, 1600 being the sweet spot?

...as for Ivybridge - its the reason I've gone Z77 instead of a 67/68 chipset motherboard. I want this rig to see an upgrade or 2 in its life :cool: but I'm no top end cash rich gamer, so I'll be waiting for a price drop and lots of reviews to find the ivybridge that stands out as the i5 2500k successor :D Back to the point - So will tighter memory spec's be a factor for the future? Cos I'm split over the 16Gb Ripjaws Z CL9 set that comes in at £80 and the Ballistix CL8 which I can buy in 2x 8Gb at £88?
 
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Yeah the choice of colours is cool :)

If you want faster RAM, this RAM will run at low voltages/high speeds so should be good for Ivy Bridge and it's a good price for 8GB of RAM which can run at over 2000Mhz! It's also got no heatsinks or anything to get in the way of coolers, because it doesn't need them.

There's a thread about it here:
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18379546

16GB of the Samsung RAM here.

If it were me, and I was gunna spend a bit more on RAM, it would be that Samsung without a doubt!
 
Paused over the 'buy' button for an i5 2500k. Have prices tumbled significantly on the release of a next generation CPU in the past? Cos I'd kick myself if Ivybridge arrived and the i5 dropped...
 
ussff said:
Paused over the 'buy' button for an i5 2500k. Have prices tumbled significantly on the release of a next generation CPU in the past? Cos I'd kick myself if Ivybridge arrived and the i5 dropped...
Click to expand...

They have for other CPU's for instance the core 2 duo and quads dropped when core i3 i5 i7's were released.

With this though I don't believe Sandy will drop a great deal if any. Maybe £10-15.
 
ussff said:
Paused over the 'buy' button for an i5 2500k. Have prices tumbled significantly on the release of a next generation CPU in the past? Cos I'd kick myself if Ivybridge arrived and the i5 dropped...
Click to expand...

If you can wait I suggest you do, as you might be able to get an IB CPU for a similar price, or perhaps an i5 2500K at a cheaper price :)
To be honest I've not been round long enough to know if we can expect massive price drops!
 
I'm so tempted but my +4800 939 is still plodding on :) The Samsung ram will go on the shelf, along with the Haf 912+ and Sentry 2. I'm assuming IF I've spotted my Z77 Mobo at a price I like... that's not really gonna matter?
 
Its a waiting game now... :p I'm looking to see IF the 2500k drops in price or which is less likely an Ivy Bridge arrives and out performs the 2500k at a similar price point...
 
ussff said:
Its a waiting game now... :p I'm looking to see IF the 2500k drops in price or which is less likely an Ivy Bridge arrives and out performs the 2500k at a similar price point...
Click to expand...

I've heard Intel like to replace things at a similar price point, someone said £15-£20 more expensive perhaps on launch. I don't know, we'll wait and see :)
 
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